119-hr4932

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4932 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 4932

 To require the Secretary of Commerce to establish the National 
 Manufacturing Advisory Council within the Department of Commerce, and 
 for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 August 8, 2025

 Mr. Neguse (for himself and Mr. Mann) introduced the following bill; 
 which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To require the Secretary of Commerce to establish the National 
 Manufacturing Advisory Council within the Department of Commerce, and 
 for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``National Manufacturing Advisory 
Council for the 21st Century Act''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL MANUFACTURING ADVISORY COUNCIL.

    (a) 

=== Definitions. ===
-In this section:

    (1) Advisory council.--The term ``Advisory Council'' means 
 the National Manufacturing Advisory Council established under 
 subsection

    (b) .

    (2) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
 ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
        (A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
 Transportation of the Senate;
        (B) the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
 Pensions of the Senate;
            (C) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 
 of the Senate;
            (D) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
        (E) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
        (F) the Committee on Small Business and 
 Entrepreneurship of the Senate;
        (G) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 
 House of Representatives;
        (H) the Committee on Education and Workforce of the 
 House of Representatives;
            (I) the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 
 of the House of Representatives;
        (J) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
 Representatives;
        (K) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
 Representatives; and
            (L) the Committee on Small Business of the House of 
 Representatives.

    (3) Economically distressed area.--The term ``economically 
 distressed area'' means an area that meets 1 or more of the 
 requirements described in 

section 301

    (a) of the Public Works 
 and Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3161

    (a) ).

    (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
 of Commerce.

    (b) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Energy, 
the United States Trade Representative, and the Secretary of Education, 
shall establish within the Department of Commerce the National 
Manufacturing Advisory Council.
            (c) Mission.--The mission of the Advisory Council shall be to--

    (1) provide a forum for--
        (A) regular communication between the Federal 
 Government and the manufacturing sector, including 
 manufacturing workers, in the United States; and
        (B) discussing and proposing solutions to problems 
 relating to the manufacturing sector in the United 
 States, including the manufacturing workforce, supply 
 chain interruptions, and other logistical challenges;

    (2) advise the Secretary regarding policies and programs of 
 the Federal Government that affect manufacturing, including the 
 manufacturing workforce, in the United States; and

    (3) annually produce a national strategic plan, as 
 described in subsection

    (g) , that provides recommendations to 
 the Secretary and the appropriate committees of Congress 
 regarding how to help the United States remain the preeminent 
 destination throughout the world for investment in 
 manufacturing, which shall be based on the execution of the 
 duties of the Advisory Council.
            (d) Duties.--The duties of the Advisory Council shall include the 
following:

    (1) Meeting not less frequently than once every 180 days, 
 in a manner to be determined by the Secretary, in order to 
 provide independent advice and recommendations to the Secretary 
 regarding issues involving manufacturing in the United States.

    (2) Identifying and assessing the impact that technological 
 developments, critical production capacity, skill availability, 
 investment patterns, and emerging defense needs have on the 
 manufacturing competitiveness of the United States and 
 providing advice and recommendations to the Secretary regarding 
 that impact.

    (3) Soliciting input from the public and private sectors 
 and academia relating to emerging trends in manufacturing, and 
 the responsiveness of Federal programming with respect to 
 manufacturing, and providing advice and recommendations to the 
 Secretary for areas of increased Federal attention with respect 
 to manufacturing.

    (4) Identifying, and providing advice and recommendations 
 to the Secretary regarding, global and domestic manufacturing 
 trends and threats to the manufacturing sector in the United 
 States, including on matters such as supply chain 
 interruptions, logistical challenges, and technological changes 
 affecting the manufacturing base in the United States.

    (5) Providing advice and recommendations to the Secretary 
 on matters relating to investment in, and support of, the 
 manufacturing workforce in the United States, including on 
 matters such as--
        (A) worker participation, including through labor 
 organizations and through other methods determined by 
 the Advisory Council, in planning for the deployment of 
 new technologies across the manufacturing sector in the 
 United States and within workplaces in that sector;
        (B) training and education priorities for the 
 Federal Government and employers to assist workers in 
 adapting the skills and experiences of those workers to 
 fit the demands of the manufacturing sector in the 
 United States in the 21st century;
            (C) how the development of new technologies and 
 processes have impacted, and will impact, the 
 manufacturing workforce of the United States and the 
 economy of the United States, which shall be based on 
 input from manufacturing workers;
            (D) management practices in the manufacturing 
 sector in the United States that lead to worker 
 employment, job quality, worker protection, worker 
 participation and power in decision making, and 
 investment in worker career success;
        (E) policies and procedures that expand access to 
 jobs, career advancement opportunities, and management 
 opportunities for underrepresented populations; and
        (F) how to improve access to demand-driven 
 manufacturing-related education, training, and re-
 training for workers, including at community and 
 technical colleges, through other institutions of 
 higher education, and through apprenticeships and work-
 based learning opportunities.

    (6) Providing recommendations to the Secretary on ways to--
        (A) provide--
            (i) manufacturing-related worker education, 
 training, and development; and
            (ii) entrepreneurship training relating to 
 manufacturing;
        (B) connect individuals and businesses with 
 services described in subparagraph
        (A) that are offered 
 in the communities of those individuals or businesses;
            (C) coordinate services relating to manufacturing 
 employee engagement, including employee ownership and 
 workforce training;
            (D) connect manufacturers with community and 
 technical colleges, other institutions of higher 
 education, State or local workforce development boards 
 established under 

section 101 or 107 of the Workforce 
 Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3111, 3122), 
 labor organizations, and nonprofit job training 
 providers to develop and support training and job 
 placement services, and apprenticeship and online 
 learning platforms, for new and incumbent manufacturing 
 workers;
        (E) develop programming to prevent manufacturing 
 job losses in the United States as entities adopt new 
 technologies and processes; and
        (F) develop best practices for manufacturers to 
 incorporate, or transition to, employee ownership 
 structures.

    (7) With respect to the matters described in paragraphs

    (1) through

    (6) , soliciting input from--
        (A) economically distressed areas; and
        (B) areas of the United States in which foreign 
 competition has resulted in mass layoffs in the 
 manufacturing sector.

    (8) Completing other specific tasks requested by the 
 Secretary.

    (e) Membership.--

    (1) In general.--The Advisory Council shall--
        (A) consist of individuals appointed by the 
 Secretary with a balance of backgrounds, experiences, 
 and viewpoints; and
        (B) include individuals with manufacturing 
 experience who represent--
            (i) private industry, including small and 
 medium-sized manufacturers and any relevant 
 standards development organizations or relevant 
 trade associations;
            (ii) academia; and
            (iii) labor.

    (2) Public participation.--The Secretary shall, to the 
 maximum extent practicable, accept recommendations from the 
 public regarding the appointment of individuals under paragraph

    (1) .

    (3) Period of appointment; vacancies.--
        (A) In general.--Each member of the Advisory 
 Council shall be appointed by the Secretary for a term 
 of 3 years.
        (B) Renewal.--The Secretary may renew an 
 appointment made under subparagraph
        (A) for not more 
 than 2 additional terms.
            (C) Stagger terms.--The Secretary may stagger the 
 terms of the members of the Advisory Council to ensure 
 that the terms of those members expire during different 
 years.
            (D) Vacancies.--
            (i) In general.--Subject to clause
            (ii) , a 
 member appointed to fill a vacancy on the 
 Advisory Council occurring before the 
 expiration of the term for which the 
 predecessor of the newly appointed member was 
 appointed shall be appointed only for the 
 remainder of that term of the predecessor.
            (ii) Further service.--A member of the 
 Advisory Council who is appointed for the 
 remainder of a term of a predecessor under 
 clause
            (i) may serve after the expiration of 
 that term of the predecessor and until the date 
 on which the Secretary has appointed a 
 successor.

    (f) Transfer of Functions.--

    (1) In general.--All functions of the United States 
 Manufacturing Council of the International Trade Administration 
 of the Department of Commerce, including the personnel, assets, 
 and obligations of the United States Manufacturing Council of 
 the International Trade Administration of the Department of 
 Commerce, as in existence on the day before the date of 
 enactment of this Act, shall be transferred to the Advisory 
 Council.

    (2) Deeming of name.--Any reference in any law, regulation, 
 document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
 United States Manufacturing Council of the International Trade 
 Administration of the Department of Commerce shall be deemed a 
 reference to the Advisory Council.

    (3) Unexpended balances.--Unexpended balances of 
 appropriations, authorization, allocations, or other funds 
 related to the United States Manufacturing Council of the 
 International Trade Administration of the Department of 
 Commerce shall be available for use by the Advisory Council for 
 the purpose for which the appropriations, authorizations, 
 allocations, or other funds were originally made available.

    (4) Existing advisory committee.--Any Federal advisory 
 committee of the Department of Commerce that is operating on 
 the day before the date of enactment of this Act under a 
 charter filed in accordance with 

section 1008
            (c) of title 5, 
 United States Code, for the purpose of addressing the purposes 
 and duties described in this section shall satisfy the 
 requirement under subsection

    (b) to establish the Advisory 
 Council if, not later than 90 days after that date of 
 enactment, the Federal advisory committee is modified, as 
 necessary, to comply with the requirements of this section.

    (g) National Strategic Plan.--Not later than 180 days after the 
date on which the Advisory Council holds the initial meeting of the 
Advisory Council, and annually thereafter, the Advisory Council shall 
submit to the Secretary and the appropriate committees of Congress--

    (1) a national strategic plan for manufacturing in the 
 United States that is based on the execution of the duties of 
 the Advisory Council under subsection
            (d) ; and

    (2) a detailed statement of the activities that the 
 Advisory Council conducted to carry out the duties of the 
 Advisory Council under subsection
            (d) .

    (h) Departmental Support.--In accordance with prevailing laws and 
regulations, the Secretary, as the Secretary considers appropriate, 
shall furnish to the Advisory Council relevant information that--

    (1) is in the possession of the Department of Commerce; and

    (2) relates to the mission of the Advisory Council.
            (i) Inapplicability of Certain Provisions.--Chapter 10 of title 5, 
United States Code, shall not apply with respect to the Advisory 
Council or the activities of the Advisory Council.

    (j) Sunset.--The Advisory Council shall terminate on September 30 
of the fifth year after the year in which the Advisory Council holds 
the first meeting of the Advisory Council.
 <all>